1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 Liter Limited from North America - Comments

Normal routine items that wear out after 100,000 miles. I installed Power-slot rotors, Hawk Pads, and Edelbrock IAS shocks, 10mm Magnacore spark plug wires, cap and rotor. All mechanical systems have performed well and are still very healthy.

The 5.9 liter engine in stock form cranks out 245 hp and 345 ft. lbs of torque. It propels the 4200 lbs of luxury SUV from 0 to 60 in 6.8 seconds. 1/4 mile time is 15.2 seconds (Motor Trend Jan, 1998)

The exhaust is a melodious growl. The 5.9 purrs like a kitten and throttle response is crisp. The large amount of low rpm torque gets you goin' (in a hurry)

The leather interior is of top shelf quality. I love the design of the Grand Cherokee as well. The 5.9L came in Platinum, Stone White and Deep Slate. All imaginable options came standard, well the towing package and skid plates & tow hooks were options. A total of about 14,000 5.9l ZJ's were made in 1998.

I recommend installing a larger throttle body 52mm or 53mm (stock is 48mm) msd digital 6 ignition, AEM Brute Force Intake, Computer Chip upgrade and 180 degree thermostat. These mods should get you over 300hp and let you run mid to high 14's in the quarter mile.

The braking system is superb on the Grand Cherokee. It has four wheel ABS disc brakes which will stop you from 0 to 60 in 130 feet.

The all wheel full time 4 wheel drive is a great. Quadra-Trac, which normally puts all the torque to the rear axle, but can automatically shift torque fore and aft at any split between zero and 100 percent, so that the torque always goes to the tires that have the best traction.

Stock tire size is 225/70/16 I will recommend going with 245/70/16 Bridgestone Dueler AT Revos of Goodyear Triple Tread Fortera.

Its fuel mileage is 14mpg city and about 19 highway. Speed costs money... how fast can you afford to go? It does cost more to run, but you get what you pay for. Kind of like if you want to make an omelet you have to break some eggs.

I had meant to write the braking is from 60 mph to 0 mph (duh)

The Jeep Grand Cherokee won 4x4 of the year again in 1998 from Petersons 4Wheel and off road.

http://4wheeloffroad.com/roadtests/131_9802_eval/

Here are specifications for the 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9L.

Specifications.

General.

Manufacturer: Jeep

Model: Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited

Base Price: $38,175

Price as Tested: $38,900

Options as Tested: Skidplate/Tow Hook Group (front suspension, transfer case, fuel tank skidplates; three tow hooks).

Engine.

Type: OHV V-8

Displacement (liters/cubic inches) : 5.9/360

Bore & Stroke (inches) : 4.00x3.48

Compression Ratio: 8.7:1

Induction Type: Sequential, multiport fuel injection

Fuel Requirement/Capacity (gallons) : 91 Octane Unleaded Premium/23

SAE Peak Horsepower: 245 @ 4,000 rpm

SAE Peak Torque (lb-ft) : 345 @ 3,200 rpm.

Transmission.

Type: Four-speed automatic overdrive

Model: 46RE

Ratios: First: 2.45:1; Second: 1.45:1; Third: 1.00:1; Fourth: 0.69:1; Reverse: 2.20:1

Transfer Case.

Type: Quadra-Trac (on demand)

Model: NV249

Low-Range Ratio: 2.72:1.

Axles.

Front Type: Dana 30

Rear Type: Spicer 44

Hubs: N/A

Ratio: 3.73:1.

Suspension.

Front: Live axle, Quadra-Link leading arms, coil springs, track bar

Rear: Live axle, Quadra-Link trailing arms, coil springs, track bar.

Steering.

Type: Power recirculating ball with damper

Turns Lock-to-Lock/Ratio: 2.94/12.7:1

Turning Radius (feet) : 36.75.

Wheels.

Size (inches) : 16x7

Material: Cast-aluminum.

Tires.

Size: P225/70R16 BSW/VSB A/T

Brand: Goodyear Wrangler HP.

Brake System.

Front: 11-inch discs with ABS

Rear: 11.2-inch discs with ABS.

Weight.

Measured Weight (pounds) : 4,300

Advertised GVWR (pounds) : 5,500.

Mileage.

EPA Estimate (city/hwy mpg) : 13/16

As Tested (mpg) : 12.36.

Acceleration.

Standing 1/4-mile (seconds @ mph) : 16.34 @ 81.76.

Braking.

60-0 mph (feet) : 135.49.

Dimensions (inches)

Wheelbase: 105.9

Overall Length: 177.2

Overall Width: 70.7

Overall Height: 64.9

Front/Rear Track: 58.5/58.8

Front/Rear Overhang: 32.0/37.25

Minimum Front Ground Clearance: 8.25.

Update from original poster:

I installed 245/70/16 Goodyear Fortera Triple Tread tires. They are top-ranked by Consumer Reports. I have been very impressed with their dry, wet and snow handling and braking.

Advertisement description:

Three unique tread zones All-weather traction

Water Zone with deeply carved Aquachutes™ Helps propel water off the tread and

away from the tire

Ice Zone with interlocking tread pattern Gripping power on icy or slick roads (has volcanic sand in tread for grip)

Dry Zone with tread reinforcement Confident maneuvering around

curves on dry pavement

PermaBlack™ compound additive Maintains new-tire appearance

throughout the life of the tire

60,000 Mile/96,000 Kilometer Tread Life Limited Warranty* Long tread life

Fortera Premium Utility Package**

60,000 Mile/96,000 Kilometer Tread Life Limited Warranty*

30-Day No Obligation Trial Period

http://www.goodyearfortera.com/tripletred/features.html.

I am not affiliated with Goodyear either, They cost me $165 per tire. OOOOUCH! (I will get a $100 rebate for set of 4)

Also, the Edelbrock IAS shock absorbers ($68 each from Summit) offer superb handling and ride comfort. Very pleased with them too! http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive/ias_shocks_technology.html.

Thanks for reading. Happy and safe motoring!

OK, I stand corrected. The Jeep Grand Cherokee with all-time four wheel wheel drive will not do it all. I am thirty five years old and not an old fart. The popular thing with the young guns today is "Drifting". Well this Jeep will NOT do that! This Jeep has traction all day long. I take great care of it and also drive it very hard. Even with the generous horsepower and torque it does not break traction... floor it and you are gone.

I have a 98 Limited and take it off road. The motor runs good. The interior is nice as well. But there are a lot of rink a dink things that break on it. I have replaced the water pump. The wheel bearing on front passenger side has failed three times already in under a year and now I have to replace it again. The axle looks fine and it is torqued to specs, but keeps failing. Now on the rear axle shaft the mount that bolts it to frame snapped in half. The headlights will not shut off without me pulling the fuse from under the hood every time as well. All in all I am impressed with the power and performance, when stuff is not broken or braking all the time.

I have had my 5.9 for five years. It has 200,000 miles on it. The only mechanical failure I have ever had was the fuel pump and catalytic converter. I would pay 40,000 in a heart beat for a another one with 5 miles or less. If you only knew the abuse the machine can stand. On your transmission I recommend a shift kit for the 5.9, not that mine has failed but the fact that when I had it put in it takes away slippage that 46Re trans appreciates. By the way I have a srt8 2007 and I like my mint condition 5.9 better: Gatlinburg, Tn.